The Guardians

”What’s that?” I ask my uncle as he fills a syringe with a black-purpleish liquid.

“This is a mixture of mountain ash and wolfsbane; together it’s our secret weapon and a failsafe all in one. It protects us.” He replies before walking over to me, squirting a little out making sure there is no air bubbles.

“What does it protect us from?” I ask, holding out my arm.

He smiles a bit before taking my arm, getting the needle closer to a vein. “It protects us from the very thing we lay out necks on the line for…

Kali pushes me into a dark room, lit only by a flashlight. In the dark, Deucalion’s smirk seems even more sinister. And from the look on Aunt Melissa’s face, she thinks so too.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you, Stacy.” Deucalion says as he walks over towards me.

“You guys know each other?” Aunt Melissa asks, looking at the two of us.

“Your son isn’t the only one that’s involved with the supernatural world, isn’t that right Stacy?” Deucalion asks me; grinning.

“Just leave the pack alone; Derek isn’t going to kill his pack to join you.” I inform him, “unless you have me on your side.”

“Now why would I want a Beta in my pack?” He questions me.

“Do you want Derek or not?’ I ask, impatiently. “Because if you turn me, you get Derek and in the end you’ll get Scott! Why you want my cousin is beyond me but you’ll get everything you want. And in the end, you can kill me afterwards.”

Aunt Melissa looks at me with a look that can only be described as a mixture of horror and betrayal. Deucalion looks at me with a smirk on his lips and I can feel Kali’s nails digging into my bicep.

“Are you really willing to die? He asks, “and more importantly are you will to go against your friends, family and code?”

“I was stupid not to come to you first,” I begin, “this is my way to make it up to you. You’ll get everything you want and in the end, I’ll get my punishment. And all it takes is a simple bite…”

”So this protects us from becoming a werewolf?” I ask my uncle as he injects me with the liquid; burning my veins as it enters my bloodstream. “Is this even safe?”

“It’s safe, don’t worry about it.” He chuckles as he discards the syringe. “When the wolfsbane and the mountain ash combines with the wolf’s bite, it stops our body from accepting the bite.”

“It stops it, just like that?’ I ask, earning another smile from my uncle. “Do wolves know about this?”

“Very few do,” he replies, “very few do….”

“It’s not that simple,” Deucalion states, “if it was, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“But you didn’t know it was an option before.” I counter with a smirk, “seriously it really is this simple. Turn me and you get everything you want. Scott, Derek and my death.”

Deucalion looks at me, bite his lower lip as he ponders my proposition. But after a couple minutes, he gives Kali the nod. I can feel Kali’s head lower closer to my shoulder. Her fangs brush up against my shoulder, causing my muscles to tense up. She just smirks before biting down hard onto my shoulder; my screams fill the room…

“This protection does come with a price, Stacy.” My uncle informs me, “it may stop us from turning into a werewolf but it slowly kills us.”

“What do you mean it kills us?” I ask, “you mean I could die from this?”

“Once a werewolf bites you, this mixture rejects the bite taking our life force with it.”

“Will I die automatically?”

“No,” he replies, “you won’t. You’ll die slowly and painfully. Not only is it a protection but also a punishment. If you get bitten, it usually means a wolf got too close to the wolf you’re protecting.”

“This could also be used as a way out of a situation, can’t it?” I ask, “it’ll motivate your alpha, wouldn’t it?”

“The death of a guardian will always motivate the wolf, no matter what.” He replies. “But I suggest you don’t use this as a scapegoat, Stacy; there is not coming back from death…”